HTC Announces A9 Smartphone

HTC has unveiled the A9 smartphone which features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Octa-core 64-bit processor with four cores clocked at 1.5GHz while the other four operate at 1.2GHz. The handset supports NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz and opts for Dolby Hi-Res Audio. In terms of storage, the base unit contains 16GB with 2GB of RAM while the more expensive model utilizes 32GB ROM and 3GB RAM. Thankfully, there is a MicroSD expansion slot which allows the storage to be upgraded to a maximum of 2TB.

This handset will be the first from HTC is support Android 6.0 by default and adopts a similar visual design to the iPhone 6. The 2150 mAh battery is disappointing although it does support Quick Charge 2.0. The handset also features a 13-megapixel rear camera with auto-focus and a sapphire cover lens which can shoot video in 1080p. Additionally, there is optical image stabilization to reduce movement during photographs. The front camera’s specification hasn’t been revealed but I would presume the sensor to be around 5-megapixels.

The smartphone’s display is a 5″ 1920×1080 Super AMOLED panel and also utilizes a fingerprint reader. As you might expect, the handset is constructed from a metal uni-body and oozes quality. Pre-orders are currently available from HTC’s website and begin at $399.99 for a limited time only.